Description

Just received the latest batch of The Wanderer lock released by Wil Strijbos of Streetwise Puzzles.

The challenges are described in two parts:
First Part:
1- Discover your Number
2 – Open the Shackle
3 – Remove the Brass Key
4 – Find the Tiny Wanderer
Second Part:
5 – Replace the Wanderer – Brass Key – Shackle
6 – Put the Lock back in the Frame.
7 – Fix the Lock back into the Frame.

There are no magnets, no banging required, no force needed. Along the way you may at first think there’s dexterity involved to solve it. But dexterity can be almost eliminated by using some of the parts supplied with the puzzle. Brian definitely took longer to put it back together than taking it apart; even though by that time you can see all the parts before you.

The lock is spring-loaded so Wil warns to take care of the “Spring” and the “Wanderer”. Is this a useful hint? We doubt that, knowing Wil!

The lock is milled from solid polished aluminium. Very substantial and quite heavy. The puzzle is polished and very shiny. If you hold the lock to the light at the right angle it is possible to see some of the original milling marks. But recently we found that the cardboard box they are packaged in may also be causing some scratching on the puzzle. We have removed the puzzles from their boxes, buffed them again, wrapped them in tissue, and reboxed them. But some marks are still visible. This is how they came from Wil and this is the only stock I have.
I’ve tried to take a photo with a bright light of the lock showing some of these marks. They are fine but I think you can even see them in the main photo.

The lock is engraved with Wil’s signature.

Size: 78mm x 100mm (height to the top of the shackle) x 20mm
Packaged in a plain brown card box.

Wil is a true puzzle solver and has the philosophical view that puzzles should not come with solution sheets. So, if you purchase one of these puzzles there will be no solution supplied.

The story of “Revenge Lock” re-named “The Wanderer” as told by Wil is:

Many years ago Gary Foshee came up with a creation he named the “Lunatic Lock”. I was very impressed with this rather unique creation, indeed it provided a lot of inspiration for another puzzle. I came up with some new ideas and, with Gary’s permission, I created a look-alike lock with a totally different internal construction. The “Revenge Lock” was born. At the time (around 1990) I produced around 20 or 30 Revenge Locks.

Since then a number of collectors have asked me about the Revenge Lock and about 2 years ago I decided to look into producing a new version. With all the possibilities that CNC machines now bring, I was able to create an entirely new mechanism hidden inside the familiar external shape. About a year ago, after I’d already worked through a few prototypes, I thought the Revenge Lock was ready for production. Around that time, at my annual King’s Day Meeting, the Wanderer tested my Lock. The Anonymous Wanderer (A.W.) solved the Revenge Lock in an impossible way. Luckily Sherlock Holmes (S.H.) was standing close to the Wanderer at the time and reported to me how A.W. had solved the Revenge Lock. Following S.H.’s explanation of this illegal solving approach, I immediately decided to redesign the mechanism. After consulting with my Approbation Manager Louis, I found a design that would force the solver to start from (only) the correct start position – with no chance of starting halfway through! [When the Lock is in the frame, it is at the starting position.] To add even more control to the available positions along the way, I have put a Wanderer inside, which is why the name of the lock has now changed: “Revenge Lock” re-named “The Wanderer”

Post a Video

Post a Photo

What others are saying

Chase –08/06/2019

This is hands down one of my favorite puzzles of all time.
I can not believe it has even remained available for this long.
If you are on the fence about purchasing this puzzle then I highly recommend you do so. The cost is not even a factor when it comes to strijbos puzzles , they are worth every penny.

(0)
(0)

Something wrong with this post? Thanks for letting us know. If you can point us in the right direction...

I own a bunch of spendy puzzle locks, and though this one looks less fancy, it is one of my favorites. It has a solid feel, looks great, and is super fun to solve. I had a helluva time with the “remove shackle” step. Embarrassed to admit that it took me at least 5 hours just for this part. That said, it felt great to finally solve it. Also great was the feeling of having put it back together after mussing around for probably way too long. Definitely worth the money. Love this lock

(0)
(0)

Something wrong with this post? Thanks for letting us know. If you can point us in the right direction...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Are you shipping to Australia or Internationally?

Why do I need to choose?

Mr Puzzle is based in Australia and ships worldwide. If you ship within Australia, website prices will include Australian Goods and Services Tax. If you choose to ship international then prices will not show Australian taxes.